Christmas romantic comedies are a tricky thing, especially inFour Christmases, where the main couple, Brad McVie (Vince Vaughn) and Kate Kinkaid (Reese Witherspoon), are already together when the film begins.The King of Kongdocumentary helmer Seth Gordon made his scripted directorial debut withFour Christmases, and both Witherspoon and Vaughn had previous rom-com experience under their belts when the film opened in theaters in 2008. It has since become a popularChristmas movie.
Four Christmasesgets its title from the fact that Brad and Kate both come from homes that were split up by divorces. Brad’s parents, Howard McVie (Robert Duvall) and Paula (Sissy Spacek), each have their own families now. The same is true for Kate’s parents, Creighton (Jon Voight) and Marilyn Kinkaid (Mary Steenburgen). To avoid having to spend time at any of the respective four family gatherings, Brad and Kate have always made sure that they were out of town for the holidays.
Unfortunately for the couple, Brad and Kate are forced to stay home one year and visit four different sides of their extended families on Christmas. This also puts pressure on their relationship as Brad and Kate realize that they’ve both been keeping secrets from each other.
Where is Four Christmases streaming?
To watch this Christmas comedy, head toMaxto begin streaming. Launched as HBO Max in 2020, Max offers programs from its signature brands, such as HBO, Cartoon Network, and Warner Bros. Legacy shows likeThe Sopranos,The Wire,Succession, andGame of Thronescan all be watched on the service. And original programming, likeHacksandThe Flight Attendant, exists under “Max Originals.”
Because itstreams under WarnerMedia,Four Christmasesis available to watch on TNT and TBS this holiday season. If you do not have cable TV, the film can be accessed through live TV streaming services likeHulu + Live TVand Sling TV. Hulu + Live TV features a fixed lineup of cable channels, while Sling TV is an à la carte model that lets users pick and choose the channel lineup.
When does it stream for subscribers?
Four Christmasesis currently streaming on Max.
Additionally, Hulu subscribers can watchFour Christmasesthrough the end of December.
How much does it cost?
Huluusers have more options. The ad-supported tier is $8 per month or $80 per year. Without ads, Hulu is $18 a month. There are also Hulu + Live TV plans including Disney+ and ESPN+ that run $77 with ads, $82 with ads only on Hulu and ESPN+, or $90 a month for a nearly ad-free streaming service with the exception of ESPN+.
Is it worth watching Four Christmases?
Even though the film has its flaws, Witherspoon and Vaughn are charming enough to make this Christmas movie worth your while. Theofficial synopsisreads: “A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas.”
Four Christmasis directed by Seth Gordon and written by Matt R. Allen, Caleb Wilson, Jon Lucas, and Scott Moore. In addition to Witherspoon and Vaughn, the ensemble features Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristen Chenoweth, Mary Steenburgen, Jon Voight, and Sissy Spacek.
OnRotten Tomatoes,Four Christmasesregisters 25% on the Tomatometer and a 47% audience score. OnMetacritic, the film holds a Metascore of 41 and a user score of 7.4.
